With UFC Vegas 116 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling gave Youssef Zalal a “welcome to the big leagues” moment as he muscled the overmatched Moroccan around for most of the 25 minutes in the UFC Vegas 116 main event. While Sterling is now on a win streak, it’s nearly impossible to see him earn a title shot off of this performance. Not only does he have a loss to current number one contender Movsar Evloev, but the UFC has not shown a real interest in being in the Aljamain Sterling business in a long time. For that reason, I believe he’ll draw another tough matchup against another younger, up-and-coming featherweight contender like Aaron Pico.

Sterling’s next fight: Aaron Pico

Joselyne Edwards

After coming into the promotion at just 25 years old and starting her UFC career 1-2, the now 30-year-old Joselyne Edwards now finds herself on a 5-fight win streak, having just beaten s streaking Norma Dumont. Edwards’ game really appears to be coming together nicely. She came into this fight riding a four-fight finishing streak. Who knows how the title picture will look at bantamweight with the Kayle Harrison and Amanda Nunes matchup not even rescheduled yet, but Edwards has now earned herself a title shot.

Edwards’ next fight: Title shot

Rafa Garcia

The Mexican has had won consecutive bouts twice in the UFC, but with Saturday’s win, he now has his first three-fight win streak. The lightweight division is a shark tank even for the unranked, which is why Garcia isn’t out of the woods yet. There are multiple names the UFC could throw at him, but I landed on Mason Jones, who is also on a three-fight heater since joining the UFC again.

Garcia’s next fight: Mason Jones

Davey Grant

Even at 40 years of age, Davey Grant proves to still be a real tough out for anyone. This time around he defeated Adrian Luna Martinetti, who was one half of last year’s Fight of the Year contender with Mark Vologdin. Any unranked bantamweight could be thrown at Grant and it would make sense, but an option that I am particularly fond of is Serhiy Sidey. Grant would serve as a good test for the 29-year-old Canadian, but I also have no doubt that Sidey would make sure to pull his weight to contribute to the action quotient in that clash.

Grant’s next fight: Serhiy Sidey

Raoni Barcelos

Not too long ago, Barcelos was on a 1-4 stretch and looking old. He’s now on a five-fight win streak and the undying Brazilian will somehow enter the rankings at 38 years old.

It might sound like a strange matchmaking idea, but I really like the idea of a Payton Talbott rematch. If you look at it from the UFC’s perspective, they will want to invest in the young Talbott, who seems to have real star potential. There’s a promotional angle to be able to market Talbott as someone who has defeated everybody he’s faced. Talbott may no longer be undefeated, but the Barcelos loss is still one he can get back. And despite the bad nature of that loss, at the rate he seems to improve, I believe Talbott would be favoured in a rematch.

Barcelos’ next fight: Payton Talbott

Ryan Spann

With this win, Ryan Spann finds himself on his first win streak in almost four years. He’s been around for so long that it can be easy to forget he’s only 34 years old, which is quite young at heavyweight. The heavyweight division being in its current state means this KO win is probably enough to give Spann a ranked opponent. I think a fight with Marcin Tybura, Mick Parkin or the winner of next week’s Shamil Gaziev vs Brando Pericic bout all make sense. I went with the Englishman.

Spann’s next fight: Mick Parkin

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Normal circumstances are not where the UFC women’s bantamweight division finds itself, however. Amanda Nunes, back from retirement, is waiting for champ Kayla Harrison to return from injury. That means Dumont had to fight on despite owning a six-fight win streak. Edwards meanwhile had four wins and four finishes on her current run.

After some feeling out Edwards went the grappling route in the opening round, getting the fight against the fence and looking for a way to take Dumont down. When that finally succeeded, however, it was Dumont landing on top, Edwards’ plan having backfired. Dumont was in half-guard, looking to pull her leg through and move to mount, or set up a choke with one arm around Edwards’ neck. That wouldn’t pan out, and they’d head to round two.

More of a standup affair with exchanges of kicks opened round two. Edwards threw a little harder, trying to open up a bit. Dumont stayed outside, choosing her moments to close the distance. Throughout the fight, Edwards didn’t seem to show much respect to Dumont’s power. And by the time the third round arrived, it was close.

Dumont fired kicks and her right hand in the third, Edwards launching kicks in return. More standup, with Dumont circling outside. Edwards would clinch up with two minutes or so left, taking the fight to the fence. Edwards fired knees but Dumont was able to get off the fence, get a Thai plum on and fire a knee or two of her own. In the final minute they traded hard leg kicks then let the hands go, until the final horn blared.

In the end, the judges sided with Edwards, who was happy to push forward most of the fight. That ends Dumont’s streak, but Edwards has now won five straight.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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“I know the challenge is up there, but I’ve seen the evolution of my fights. I’ve seen the results we’ve had and very happy that the result is coming. For such a long time I was like why am I putting in so much work and the results not coming and I’m not reaping what I sow,” Edwards told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“God is never late, time is always there, his time is always right.”

Edwards (17-6) broke down the stylistic matchup, pointing to what she believes are clear differences in approach between herself and her opponent. Confident in both her aggression and preparation, she made it clear she intends to bring a level of intensity Dumont has yet to face.

“She basically likes to score a lot during the fights, she’s about that volume out there, but if you see the aggressiveness that I bring to the table, if you see the fighter that I am, have you seen anything like that in any of Norma’s previous opponents? I don’t think you’ve seen that aggressiveness and a fighter like me,” she said.

“The people that I have, the material that I have to work with at Xtreme Couture, I have everything. I have fighters of every weight class, I have fighters of every style, and that makes me prepared to fight.”

She didn’t shy away from outlining what a victory could mean for her career, viewing Saturday’s bout as a potential springboard to something much bigger. With confidence in her momentum and preparation, she made it clear she’s ready to make her case for a title opportunity with a statement performance.

“Winning the fight on Saturday I just feel that I would be able to fight for the title. You get ready, you’re in that position, get ready for a camp to actually fight for that belt,” she said.

“I want to call out on it, I hope they say yes, and I think it would be a great opportunity by winning on Saturday.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Joselyne Edwards above. She faces Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday night.

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In a division thin on talent, Edwards (who at one point competed at featherweight, and had struggled at the scale earlier in her 135lb run) had managed to put together three straight wins. Cornolle entered off a loss to Karol Rosa for her part.

Edwards took the fight to the fence about 90s seconds into Saturday’s preliminary card bout, with the pair reversing positions then reversing again. They’d come off the fence, flirt with a takedown, only to get right back to the cage. Cornolle looked for a trip, didn’t have it, and Edwards reversed. Minimal action, a lot of positional battles through the first five minutes.

Round two opened with a well-timed Edwards takedown. Not much came of it. The next one was another story.

Edwards managed to hoist Cornolle up, and slam her down, a sort of “sidewalk slam” rather than Rampage-style. It turned out to be just as effective. Cornolle’s shoulder and head hit the canvass, and she looked out of it. Edwards piled on with hammer fists, as the ref watched on. Easily could have been a stoppage, but the ref didn’t call it and Cornolle appeared to come around.

That forced Edwards to switch to a rear-naked choke, and Cornolle soon tapped! The French fighter was clearly hurt, slow to get up and then doubled over in pain on her stool, clutching what may have been a dislocated or broken shoulder.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Nora Cornolle by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:44

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The bantamweight fight found Cachoeira coming in off a win over Josiane Nunes, while Edwards had won two straight, both via finish.

Edwards went right into a takedown off of Cachoeira’s opening calf kick, but couldn’t land the attempt. When that failed, Edwards fired a right hand, and a calf kick of her own, but it was Cachoeira’s response that had more heat on it. Moments later, Edwards changed levels again, but again, there was no takedown to be had. An eye poke suffered by Edwards then halted the action. After getting back underway, the pair traded fire, Edwards landed a couple of good shots. Once again, it was Cachoeira with the power edge – but her hands were down, and Joselyne Edwards dropped her with a left and a harder right hand, a two-punch combination that sent Brazil’s Cachoeira crashing backwards. Edwards charged in, got on top of her fallen foe and landed one more punch before the ref stepped in. That gave Edwards an impressively big win, her third straight.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Priscila Cachoeira by KO, Round 1, 2:24

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The bout did not last long.

Chandler entered the fight off a loss to Yana Santos last August, Edwards off a win over Tamires Vidal in October.

Early on, it was Edwards landing a takedown in a clinch that had been initiated by Chandler. That backfired, as it was Edwards coming out on top care of a trip. Edwards was in half guard, but Chandler worked back to the fence. However when Edwards backed off, Chandler was slow to get to her feet, though she did get back up – only to eat a crisp body kick. Edwards’ kicks were there for her early, with another blocked by Chandler moments later.

It wasn’t long before Edwards ran away with the fight. With Chandler looking shaky on her feet, Joselyne Edwards backed her up to the fence, letting go with some wild, looping lefts and rights. Chandler went down, covering up, and Edwards piled on with successive right hands until the ref had seen enough and waved off the fight!

That’s two straight victories and two straight finishes in the UFC for Panama’s Edwards. Seven of her finishes have come in the opening round. In her post-fight interview, Edwards called for the promotion to visit her native Panama, where they have yet to touch down.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Chelsea Chandler by TKO, Round 1, 2:31

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That was the weight of Edwards, who came in three pounds heavy for the fight, even after shedding her clothes and taking the braids out of her hair. It was Edwards’ third time missing weight in the UFC, following incidents in 2022 and 2023.

The pair opened with kicks, going back and forth, until Edwards fired off a combo. Vidal would close the distance a minute in, battling for a takedown. When they went to the ground, it was in a heap, and Edwards threatened to reverse; instead they got back up still in a clinch, with Vidal refusing to bail on it. Edwards then reversed the position, putting Vidal against the cage. She broke free at long last, firing a punch over the top as she did, then went back to firing jabs and kicks, using her range. Vidal, in contrast, threw some haymakers, clearly looking to do damage or find the finish. Edwards kept at Vidal’s lead leg with her kicks, targeted the body with a jab, and fired off a pair of spinning back fists. But Vidal was undeterred, attacking the body herself and brushing off yet another spinning back fist.

A fourth spinning back fist attempt with just over a minute on the clock fanned. What didn’t miss was the combo she fired off moments later. Edwards then changed levels for a takedown and landed it, but not before eating several elbows.

Edwards opened round two with a kick, and followed that with a sizzling right hand. Another spinning back fist by Edwards was blocked. Spinning back fist count: five (four either landing or blocked, one sailing wide). Vidal touched a thigh with a kick, and Edwards answered in kind. Vidal then closed the distance, got a body lock in place, and went after a takedown, initially unable to land it. She did however take the back and attempt to sneak a hook in, only for Edwards to defend, dropping elbows. After more clinch work, Edwards drove her opponent across the octagon, eventually landing her own takedown, settling into half guard. Edwards was close to pulling her leg through, with side control available. Vidal wound up just hanging on, doing enough to keep Edwards from passing, but unable to scramble free or reverse.

Round three saw Vidal try her own spinning back fist 90 seconds or so in, which Edwards took advantage of. She chose that moment to land a well-timed takedown. Vidal was on her back, at center, miles away from the fence. Edwards had over half a round to work. Smashing elbows rained down from Edwards, but Vidal survived, grabbing a leg. With no submission to be found Edwards instead took the back, fired some elbows, and got a body triangle in place, sinking in a rear-naked choke then forcing the tap!

The weight misses remain a concern, but Joselyne Edwards may have saved her job, snapping a two-fight skid with the submission win.

Official Result: Joselyne Edwards def. Tamires Vidal by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:33

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The pair had been involved in a scuffle at the UFC PI late last year, which led to allegations that Perez’s coach had choked out Edwards, though both sides offered their own version of the story.

With Edwards declining a glove touch, the action got underway, with Perez earning an early takedown inside of a minute in. She couldn’t keep Edwards there, but landed a second takedown almost as soon as they got back up, this time moving into Edwards’ half-guard. After a moment, however, Edwards was table to reverse! That gave her some top time, but she didn’t stay there long, and Perez got back in control with Edwards sitting against the fence. And when Edwards powered up, Perez was there to take her right back down.

This time, Perez looked to pass to side control, with Edwards doing little off her back. With twenty seconds in the round, however, Joselyne finally found an opening, reversed, and finished the frame on top.

Early in round two, Edwards wrapped up a guillotine while defending a takedown, and while the choke wasn’t completed, she used it to get on top of Perez. Well away from the fence, Edwards had three and a half minutes on the clock, but wasn’t overly active from top position. And when they did leave the position, it was due to a headbutt landed by Edwards, who was warned for the foul.

Starting back on the feet seemed like it might benefit Edwards, but instead it was Perez connecting and dropping her opponent! Edwards got back up, and Perez clinched up, eventually getting the fight down and looking for an arm-bar, only for Edwards to reverse once again.

Round three saw the pair clinch up early, with Perez landing off the break. They came together again against the fence a moment later, with Perez reversing and looking to land a throw. In the end, neither woman could get the fight down for long and they’d end up at center, trading, with more of a stand-up round playing out. The back-and-forth that followed saw both women land, including several kicks, but the grudge match that had promised fireworks instead seemed to fizzle, though Ailin Perez would land a final takedown. The pair appeared to hug it out at the end of the fight, with the corners shaking hands as well, squashing the beef- while Perez came away with the win.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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That fighter was Andre Lima, who came in well over the flyweight limit at 130lbs. As a result, opponent Mitch Raposo will pick up 30% of Lima’s purse, but the fight at least moved forward.

Joselyne Edwards nearly hit a snag during her own weigh-in, part of a grudge match with Ailin Perez. Edwards initially came in one pound over for the women’s bantamweight fight, but after immediately stripping down, she successfully made 136lbs.

Dustin Poirier and lightweight champ Islam Makhachev headline Saturday’s card in Newark, and both were among the first fighters to weigh in. Sean Strickland, set for a five-round co-main event with Paulo Costa that could produce a number one contender for the winner of Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya (expected to come next), also weighed in early. As for Costa, he was last to hit the scales, about an hour and a quarter in, but made championship weight to cheers of “secret juice.”

Full results from Friday’s UFC 302 weigh-in, with Cageside Press on hand, and a gallery of highlights from both the official and ceremonial weigh-ins, can be found below.

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Islam Makhachev (c) (155) vs. Dustin Poirier (155) — for the UFC lightweight championship
Middleweight: Sean Strickland (185) vs. Paulo Costa (185)
Middleweight: Kevin Holland (185) vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk (185)
Welterweight: Niko Price (170) vs. Alex Morono (170)
Welterweight: Randy Brown (170) vs. Elizeu Zaleski (170)

Preliminary card

Middleweight: César Almeida (185) vs. Roman Kopylov (185)
Heavyweight: Jailton Almeida (241) vs. Alexander Romanov (265)
Lightweight: Grant Dawson (155) vs. Joe Solecki (155)
Welterweight: Philip Rowe (171) vs. Jake Matthews (170)

Early preliminary card 

Welterweight: Mickey Gall (170) vs. Bassil Hafez (170)
Women’s Bantamweight: Ailín Pérez (135) vs. Joselyne Edwards (136)
Flyweight: Mitch Raposo (125) vs. André Lima (130)*

* Lima misses weight by four pounds for his flyweight fight with Mitch Raposo, will forfeit 30% of his purse

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Official Weigh-In

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Ceremonial Weigh-In

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Edwards had won three straight coming into the bout, while Cornolle was making her debut on the strength of six straight wins, having not lost since her first pro fight.

Cornolle landed four leg kicks back to back to start the fight. She landed a nice combination that forced Edwards to clinch up. Edwards was using that head pressure but it was Cornolle using the knees. Edwards was heavy on the takedown and eventually got it. Cornolle tried to explode up at one point and then again was able to and wind up on top. No damage down but Cornolle ended the round on top.

Cornolle landed a big overhand right to start round two. She was throwing a lot of leg kicks but one was caught by Edwards and she got the takedown. Cornolle was using the cage to work back to her feet and eventually did. Edwards got another takedown but Cornolle popped right back up. Cornolle rushed in and Edwards landed a head and arm throw. Cornolle escaped out of the back door and took the back of Edwards. On the back Cornolle ended the round there going for the RNC.

In the final round both girls were very tired. Cornolle got the attention of Edwards with some big punches forcing Edward to clinch up. Cornolle reversed against the cage and landed a few knees to the body. Again Cornolle let herself get taken down with one of those crappy headlock throws. Cornolle gave up her back to Edwards and defended the RNC. She was able to shake off Edwards and get back to her feet. With seconds left some knees in the clinch landed from Cornolle. Come the scorecards, all three scored it for Nora Cornolle, who dropped to her knees overwhelmed with emotion, having won her UFC debut at home.

Official Result: Nora Cornolle def. Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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